It's 3 o'clock and we ask ourselves, "Where are we now?"

[dark_steps]

Who: Linali and Atem, with a Jounouchi and Yuugi appearance later on
When: The last day of the storm, late afternoon
Where: Around campus, ultimately in the forest
What: Thinking her cat's out in the snowstorm and in danger, Linali braves the storm to search for him, dragging Atem along with her.
Rating: PG? for shoujo manga-ness~

Comments

[dark_steps]

They'd been walking towards campus in companionable silence when the snippet of sound reached her ears and she pulled Atem to a stop. "Listen," she said quietly, holding still until the sound blew towards them again. "That's Yuugi!" Not thinking about how much faster she was than him, she took off running towards the source of the sound, hoping he'd be able to tell her that her cat was safe and sound.

[draw_a_card]

Atem could hear Yuugi's voice anywhere, so when Linali stopped him he'd already recognized the shouting. When Linali took off though, she left Atem blinking once or twice. Hmph. He took off after her, hoping indeed to find that Yun-qi was alright but mostly wanting to see Yuugi.

[dark_steps]

"Yuugi!" Her hair and coat flew as she moved even faster, clasping his hands tightly when they finally reached each other. "Right behind me," she answered, distracted by just how cold his hands were. Were his clothes wet, too? She let go of his hand to reach out and touch his shoulder, flinching at his damp clothes before reaching up to touch his face. He was freezing! "What are you doing outside like this?! You're going to make yourself sick!" She threw her coat off and tossed it around him, pulling it shut in front. "Atem's going to be sick with worry about you. Though it might just be payback from the look of you." She gave him a soft smile before turning to see if Atem had caught up yet.

[draw_a_card]

Atem had indeed caught up; he still wasn't as fast running as he used to be, but he was getting better. Slowing as he reached them, he smiled, really glad to see Yuugi. He'd missed their conversation, but he soon picked up from where they'd left off anyway. "Aibou, are you alright?" He asked, concerned; the other boy looked really cold, and Atem knew cold especially considering he wasn't wearing a coat.

[dark_steps]

She'd been just about to tell him to keep the jacket when Atem appeared, successfully distracting her from forcing him back into it. Seeing the two of them reunite like that made her smile, glad they'd made it back with no major mishaps. Yuugi really had been worried. She made a small noise of protest when he shoved the jacket back into her hands and wanted to smack him when he peeled off the damp jacket. From his chattering teeth to his shivering kaa, it was completely obvious he was freezing. "Let's go inside before you get sick. I need to find Yun-qi, but Atem can tell you all about what happened." With that, she grabbed their arms and gave a gentle tug to get them started back towards the boys' dorms.

[draw_a_card]

Atem's attention was briefly caught by the Silent Magician, and he couldn't help but laugh quietly at the dance. That... Was adorable. Shaking his head in amusement, Atem looked back at Yuugi at the touch on his shoulder, and he smiled at the other boy. "I'm fine, aibou." He said, blinking once when Yuugi pulled off the jacket, realizing he'd been wearing two. Surely Yuugi could have just worn Atem's coat? Taking the jacket gratefully though, Atem blinked once again as he realized it was damp.

He would have started worrying outloud if Linali hadn't done so first. He nodded in agreement with her, following along as she pulled his arm. He, however, was not intending to tell what had happened, thank you.

[dark_steps]

As soon as Yuugi spoke up again, the knot in Linali's chest loosened and released and she sighed in relief before looping her arms through both boys' and giving Yuugi's a little squeeze. "I'm just glad he's okay, so don't worry about it, really." She gave Atem a little look and felt her face start to flush before she continued. "We weren't out... the whole time. We found a little shack in the woods when the storm got bad and spent the night there." And that was all she was saying.

They reached House Theta soon enough, and she let them both go to open the door, holding it and giving them both a look that said 'get in, no arguing'.

[draw_a_card]

Atem was a little surprised, but glad to hear that Yun-qi has been with Yuugi after all. "Yes, at least he's alright." He was very glad to see and enter the dorms, and like Linali, he had no intention of elaborating on any more details. He had an aibou to take care of at the moment, of course, and he had to worry unnecessarily about Linali as well.

[dark_steps]

Linali grabbed the door as he opened it, ushering them both inside before following and shutting the door behind them. Ah, warmth. This is what she'd been craving the night before. "You need to go get out of those wet clothes and get warm," she instructed Yuugi as she shrugged out of her wet coat and started to step out of her soaked shoes. An odd sense of deja vu came over her as she pondered pulling off her wet socks again as well.

[draw_a_card]

Even though Atem usually really preferred it warmer, the relatively low temperature in their room was so much warmer than he'd been that he greatly enjoyed it. He was, however, very concerned about Yuugi. He was shivering so much. Nodding at Linali's words, Atem also recognized the familiarity of them, but he ignored it in favor of beginning to steer Yuugi towards the bathroom. "Go change."